


Stripes of the Past

by Tatsuki_Vermillion



Series: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles [1]
Category: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TV 2012), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - All Media Types
Genre: Brother-Sister Relationships, F/M, Father-Daughter Relationship, I know so original, I like to keep you guessing, Little Brothers, Little Sisters, Original Female Character - Freeform, Original mutant character - Freeform, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Slow Burn, Slow Burn Romance, Tags May Change, april is the same age, character has ptsd, crossposted on quotev, cut me some slack: this was my first real attempt at fanfiction, first time ever posting something on ao3, having too much fun with the tags tbh, help me!, hence the rewrite, if you know me from quotev you know how i work, like reallllyy slow, mutated character, original character is 18, original o'neil character, prologue is a bit slow. that's why there are more chapters, protective older sibling, rewritten story, she went through hell. what do you expect?, splinter is a protective dad, the turtles are 18, warning: author is a bit of a sadist, when i know how to work around this site better
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-17
Updated: 2019-06-24
Packaged: 2019-09-21 11:12:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 10,192
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17042648
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tatsuki_Vermillion/pseuds/Tatsuki_Vermillion
Summary: Whoever said “Scars heal”, obviously never had any. WOUNDS heal, but scars? Scars are permanent. They last for a lifetime… and sometimes beyond.(This is a revamp of my old TMNT fic. I wrote it when I was like, 12, so it was in need of serious help. I am brand-new to being an author here on AO3, so I would really appreciate some feedback. I'm originally from Quotev after leaving Fanfiction.net, so I'm not totally new at being an author, but I always welcome constructive criticism.)





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> I own my OC, Fallyn O'Neil. Everything she is, her appearance, every action she takes, every word she says, is mine. Renditions of her are forbidden. If you want her to make a cameo appearance in your story/quiz/poll/Role Play/etc, you need my explicit written permission first. Thank you!!  
> Nothing else is mine, unfortunately, because heaven knows that if I owned TMNT things would be MUCH different.  
> Maybe it's a good thing I don't own it, then. XP

“Daddy?” Kirby O’Neil glanced back at his eleven-year-old daughter. He had just finished tucking her into bed, and was preparing to flop onto his own. It had been a long day.

“Yes April?” The little redhead sat up, her electric blue eyes staring at her father from her pale, lightly freckled face framed with bright red hair.

“Can you tell me about Fallyn?” Kirby’s eyes widened slightly, the request surprising, yet not unexpected. He looked over his daughter for a little while, before sighing and resituating himself on the edge of her bed. Once she was back under her covers, he spoke up.

“What do you want to know, honey?”

“What was she like? Was she like me? Or you? Or Mom?” Kirby chuckled at the rapid fire questions.

“Slow down, sweetheart.” Kirby relaxed, placing a finger on his chin as he pretended to remember. Despite himself, a small smile started to appear on his lips. “Let’s see. Well… she was smart, carefree, strong-willed,” here he leaned in like oh so many prior instances, “If not rebellious for her eight years of age.” April giggled, hiding her mouth behind her hands.

“What did she look like?”

“Well, this is where she was unique. She actually didn’t look like any of us. Her hair was a beautiful chocolate brown, and her eyes were a sparkling emerald green. Only your mother had green eyes, and they were nowhere as green as Fallyn’s.” April’s hands dropped to reveal a sad smile. The amusement was still there, but it was tempered by heavier feelings.

“Sometimes, I have dreams. I think they’re actually memories.” Kirby tilted his head, but didn’t say anything.

_‘This is new.’_

“I see Fallyn running ahead of me, laughing. We would go swimming in the pond, or play in the trees. Sometimes, if I got hurt, Fallyn would pick me up and carry me back to the farmhouse. There you and she would bandage me up while Mom was blaming Fallyn for what happened.” April huffed. “I never understood why Mom hated Fallyn. I always loved her. So why didn’t Mom?” The eleven year old sniffed, wiping her nose on the back of her hand.

“It's not that your mother hated your sister." April looked up at her father. "She was just angry at her for not taking better care of you.” The two didn’t say anything for a while.

Fallyn O'Neil, the eldest daughter to Kirby and May O'Neil. Born three years prior to her redheaded, blue-eyed sister April, the brunette, green-eyed girl had gone missing with the girls' mother several years prior, back when the family was still living in their farmhouse. Kirby and April had moved to Manhattan, and tried to leave the pain of losing two of their small family behind. Unfortunately, the girls' bond made that difficult.

Kirby knew his daughter had to remember more than he let on, but he decided to focus on the positive. How the girls would play for hours, with Fallyn teaching, or at least trying to, April how to climb trees and hide under boulders. While Fallyn was around, Kirby never had to worry about his girls. He knew that Fallyn would never let anything happen to April, so with her gone... there was a protective shield missing as well.

“Hey Daddy?”

“Hm?”

“Do you think…” April glanced at her father, a tear slipping out of her eye. “Do you think that Fallyn’s still alive somewhere?” Kirby blinked several times. April had never asked anything like this, and Kirby didn’t want to lie to his only remaining daughter, but he didn’t want to give her false hope either. So he settled for the easy way out.

“I… don’t know, April.” April’s lips quivered.

“So she’s…” Kirby’s arms shot out, pulling his daughter to his chest. It was instinctive, wanting to protect her.

“I don’t know April. A lot can happen in five years. She could be...," Kirby trailed off, not wanting to say the dreaded word, "or she could be on her way here right now.” April looked up at him, hope shining behind the tears.

“Really? She really could?”

“Possibly. I-.” The doorbell cut him off. Kirby cursed under his breath, and for a while didn't move. It was only once the bell was rung again, this time for longer, did he stand up. “I’ll be right back.” April shook her head, jumping out of bed.

“I want to come with.” She smiled, showing all of her teeth, as well as the gaping hole where her front canine had recently fallen out. “I have a feeling. A good feeling.” Kirby acquiesced after a moment, realizing it couldn't hurt. If it was someone selling something, he'd just keep the door closed.

“Alright then. If you’re sure.” Taking her hand, father and daughter walked down the stairs. Once they reached the door, Kirby positioned April behind him. “Don’t say anything alright?” She nodded. Taking a deep breath, Kirby opened the door.

A young girl stood there, no older than thirteen. Her clothes were tattered, and her arms and legs were cut all over. Blood still ran from a few of the cuts, albeit sluggishly. She was panting, like she had just run a marathon; her breathing was so ragged, it sounded like she was choking on air. Her head was hung, her brunette hair hiding her face.

April, having peeked through her father's legs, gasped at the sight and had run out from behind her father to grasp the other girl’s shoulders before Kirby could stop her. “Hey! Are you okay?” To her surprise, the brunette chuckled softly.

“You… haven’t changed… at all…” She raised her head, staring into April’s eyes. “Little sister.” April’s eyes widened to the size of basketballs. Before she could say anything, Kirby stepped between the girls, placing a protective hand on April's head.

“Who are you?”

“Not surprised you don’t recognize me, Dad. I  _was_  only eight last time you saw me.” Kirby froze, his mind and body shutting down. Stuttering, trying to form words yet unable to do anymore, he dropped to his knees, brushing the hair out of the girl’s face.

As they continued to stare at each other, Kirby knew beyond a shadow of a doubt who the mysterious girl was. Her face was cut up and bruised, and her hair was dull and stringy; obviously, wherever she had been, she had not been safe. And even though her once emerald green eyes were now a hard gold, they still shone with the same warmth he remembered. The same warmth he and April had been dreaming about for five years.

“Fallyn.” Kirby breathed, unwillingly to believe it yet praying to the heavens it was true. April gasped, covering her mouth with her hands. When Kirby wrapped his arms around his proclaimed daughter, April wedging herself in between them, crying into her older sister's chest. “You’ve come home."

 


	2. Meeting

**Four Years Later**

"Come on Fallyn! We're going to be late!" The eldest O'Neil girl chuckled under her breath. Shaking her head, she looked over her appearance once more before fixing her waist length silver-white-and-black hair into a high ponytail. She bit the inside of her lip, once more cursing her hair for changing as soon as she hit puberty. Shaking away the depressing thoughts, she fluffed her bangs before grabbing her purse.

"Hold your horses, April! I'm coming!" Fallyn opened her door, closing it behind her. As she walked down the hall, Fallyn did her best to not look at any of the pictures that lined the walls. The girl in those pictures was no longer who she was.

When she returned home, her hair was still brown. However, after a year of being home, she noticed her roots started going white in places. Fallyn tried covering it up with hair dye, but once the black stripes appeared, it became obvious what was happening to her. At least, it was obvious to her.

To cover it up, she bought silver and black hair dye, and kept them on one of the shelves in her room. When her father inquired about it, Fallyn told him "It makes me look intimidating. People leave me alone if they think I'm weird, which means they'll leave April alone." Kirby had bought the excuse.

 _'If only he knew...'_  Coming down the stairs, Fallyn smirked at the sight of April staring down at her phone. Taking advantage of her sister's obliviousness, she tapped the younger girl's shoulder. April jumped, placing a hand over her heart as she whirled.

"Jeez, sis! Do you  _always_  have to go all ninja on me?!" Fallyn laughed, lightly yanking the redhead's short ponytail, much to her displeasure.

"Can't help it. Now let's go. Bye Dad! We're heading out!" Kirby O'Neil appeared at the head of the stairs, his toothbrush hanging out of his mouth.

"Be careful!" Fallyn rolled her eyes, chuckling under her breath.

"We will!"

"Be sure to come back and get me when you're done so we can go to your aunt's!" Waving over her shoulder dismissively, Fallyn held the front door open, letting April go out first.

"Ready to have the best shopping day of your life?" Fallyn felt her heart warm when April grinned.

"You bet I am!" She grabbed her older sister's hand, pulling her down the steps. "Let's go!"

~ *.* ~

Leonardo breathed deeply, glancing at his brothers out of the corner of his sky blue eyes. His brothers, Michelangelo, Donatello, and Raphael, were standing next to him, looking out over the city of Manhattan from a rooftop. Today was their eighteenth birthday, and Master Splinter, their father and Ninjutsu sensei, had finally agreed to let them go above the sewers for the first time in their lives. The teens had been ecstatic, and wasted no time in going above ground. After touring the city, scaring a human, and eating something called pii-zza, the boys had to admit it: the surface was  _awesome_. Leonardo could have stayed up there all night, enjoying the differences in the smells in the air.

But, like all good things, it had to come to an end.

Leonardo sighed as he turned to face his brothers. "Alright guys. It's getting late. We should probably head back home." His brothers groaned in disappointment, but started to follow him nonetheless, knowing that their only chance of coming back up was if they stuck to Splinter's curfew. Suddenly, Donatello gasped.

"Guys! Look at that!" He pointed to his left and down. Turning, the teens quickly found what he was staring at. Leonardo blinked several times, kneeling down to get a better look at what his younger brother had seen.

Two girls were walking down the street, laughing to each other. One was wearing a yellow shirt, with a black longer-sleeved under it, jean shorts with black leggings, and black boots. Her reddish orange hair was pulled into a low ponytail, and had a yellow headband adorning the crown of her head. Her electric blue eyes shone underneath her bangs as she looked up at her companion.

Her companion was a full head taller than the redhead. She was wearing a deep burgundy top with light colored jeans disappearing into her knee-high brown boots. Her ponytail was tied on the top of her head, and hung down to her waist. Her hair was a surprising white with black highlights streaking through it, giving the impression of tiger stripes as she walked. Her eyes were partially hidden by her bangs and the downward tilt of her head. Leaning over the ledge at a different angle, Leonardo was finally able to see them, and had to admit he was surprised at their color: they were a molten gold, vastly different from her companion's and any other human he had seen on TV.  _'Wow. She's… beautiful.'_  A man followed after them, but the boys didn't pay him much attention.

Donatello had begun drooling as he watched the female humans walk by, his head robotically following them."She's the most beautiful girl I've ever seen."

Raphael rolled his eyes. "Isn't she the  _only_  girl you've ever seen?"

The quip snapped Donatello out of his trance. After realizing his brother was staring at him, Donatello lifted his head haughtily, closing his eyes to prevent Raphael from seeing the embarrassment in them. "My point still stands!"

Leonardo placed a hand on his brother's shoulder. "Besides, there are  _two_  girls down there. Which one were you talking about?" he inquired, silently hoping Donatello was talking about the redhead. The reason was beyond Leonardo, but for some odd reason he hoped Donatello had taken a liking to the redhead.

Unfortunately, Donatello never got the chance to answer that particular question.

~ *.* ~

The sound of tires screeching prompted Fallyn to jump further away from the street. Seeing a van hurtling towards them, Fallyn placed herself in front of April. April gripped her sister's arm as four identical men jumped out of the back of the vehicle. Fallyn growled lowly at them, a subconscious attempt to keep them at bay. It didn't work, because the men kept walking towards them. "Fallyn?"

Fallyn glanced back at April. "Run." April glanced in shock at the older girl, hardly believing her ears.

"What?" Fallyn whirled, pushing April ahead of her.

"Run!" she shouted this time, using her hand on April's shoulder blade to propel the younger girl forward. Not bothering to argue, April sprinted down the street, Fallyn close behind.

 _'This must be serious if Fallyn is running. She never backs down._ ' Kirby shot down the street, wailing for help while completely forgetting he was supposed to stick with his daughters, and was soon out of sight. April rolled her eyes, despite the situation. ' _Thanks for the protection, Dad.'_

Glancing over her shoulder, Fallyn mentally cursed when she saw the men giving chase, their faces just as impassive as when they had jumped out of the van.  _'I can't put April in danger.'_  Turning down an alleyway, the eldest girl frantically looked for a way out. When she spotted the fire escape, she ran under it, cupping her hands. April nodded, not needing to ask what she was doing.

Getting a running start, April leapt, planting her foot in Fallyn's cupped palms. Fallyn effortlessly flung April up, breathing a slight sigh of relief when she grabbed the metal railing. Flipping up the metal framework herself, Fallyn reached the roof seconds before April and hauled the redhead onto the roof.

The redhead glared good-naturedly. "Show off."

Fallyn rolled her eyes, smirking at her sister before continuing to run. "Gymnastic drop out." Thankfully, they were in an apartment complex, so the roofs were fairly close together. The alleyways were no more than ten feet wide, making them easy to jump across. Looking behind again, Fallyn realized the men had followed them on the ground. With the girls on the roofs, they easily outpaced the men, who had to turn around entire buildings whereas the girls just had to leap a gap. The men were soon left in the dust.

However, the girl's luck ran out when the complex did. "Great. What do we do now?"

Fallyn smirked. "Oh ye of little faith." She gestured down the street. A semi-truck was coming by, fast enough to give the girls a good escape route, but slow enough they wouldn't slide off. April blanched slightly, but nodded anyways. Fallyn gripped April's left hand. "Ready?"

"As ready as I'll ever be." April replied shakily. Mentally counting, Fallyn leapt when the semi was close enough. April yelled as the roof vanished from beneath her feet, tightening her grip on her sister's hand. Grunting, she rolled to absorb the impact while Fallyn slid to face the roof they had just left. The men appeared just as the truck turned down a street; thankfully, it seemed the men hadn't seen them. Chuckling, the girls turned to each other.

"Well that was fun." Fallyn deadpanned.

April lightly punched Fallyn's shoulder, laughing softly. "And it never happened." Fallyn nodded in agreement.

"Dad would freak if he knew." Relaxing on the truck's roof, they waited till they were a few blocks away before jumping off. Fallyn sighed to herself.  _'That was_ way _too close.'_

~ *.* ~

Donatello gasped as four men jumped out of the vehicle, heading towards the girls. "We have to help them!"

Leonardo fastened a hand on his brother's shoulder, preventing him from jumping off the roof. "Splinter's instructions were very clear. We're supposed to stay away from humans. And bathrooms!" Leonardo added in fear.

Raphael scoffed, turning his attention away from his brothers. "Besides, they don't need our help." Leonardo glanced at him. Before he could ask, Raphael gestured down the street with his thumb. Looking in that direction, the turtles saw the girls tear down the road, putting some good distance between them and the men who had decided to give chase.

"I'm still going!" Donatello declared as he leapt off the roof. Raphael and Michelangelo followed without a word, leaving Leonardo in the dust. After a moment, the terrapin wearing the blue bandana sighed in defeat, running after his brothers.

The red haired man who was with the girls utterly abandoned them, running and wailing, leaving the girls to fend for themselves. Thankfully, the girls soon outpaced their pursuers, but that didn't seem to deter the men, who never broke stride. To Leonardo's surprise, the girls ducked into an alleyway.

Donatello gasped, horrified. "What are they doing?! It's a dead end!" He began to panic, and was just about to jump down into the alley, when the white-haired girl ran under the fire escape and cupped her hands. Her friend immediately ran at her, planting a boot in the makeshift step.

"Evidently not for them." Leonardo commented, watching with new interest when the white-haired human flipped up and above her friend's head, beating her to the roof. He was amazed with how well they worked together without saying anything. Donatello hummed, surprising Leonardo.

"She's still not as pretty though."

 _'So he_ was _crushing on the redhead. Wait. I must have spoken out loud!_ ' Leonardo panicked. Thankfully, everyone's attention was still primarily focused on the girls. The turtles watched as the redhead glared at her friend.

"Show off." She ground out, though it didn't seem like she meant the insult. To her credit, the white-haired girl just laughed softly.

"Gymnastics drop out."

Raphael smirked as the girls began to run across the rooftops.  _'I like her.'_ He turned to Leo. "We gonna follow?" The elder turtle sighed, realizing there was no way he'd be able to convince his brothers to go back to the sewers after they had witnessed this to the end.

"Might as well." The turtles followed the girls along the parallel roofs on the opposite side of the street, ensuring they stayed in the shadows just in case the girls saw them. The men ran along the street, but soon dropped behind, unable to keep up with the teens' pace. As he continued to watch, Leonardo became more impressed with their abilities. His heart dropped, though, when they ran out of roof, and were forced to stop cold.

Donatello looked at Leonardo. "Can we help  _now_?" he stressed the final word, hoping for a yes.

Instead, Leonardo shook his head, holding up a hand. "Wait. Let's see what they do." Evidently, the redhead had the same idea as Donatello.

"What do we do now?" Her friend smirked.

"Oh ye of little faith." Glancing in the direction she pointed, Leonardo saw a large truck coming down the street. "Ready?" The terrapin glanced back to see the girls had joined hands.

"As ready as I'll ever be." Waiting about three seconds, the whitette jumped, pulling her friend with her. The redhead screamed as their feet left the rooftop. As soon as she made contact, she rolled while her friend slid to face the way they had come. Leonardo and his brothers watched as the truck drove by, unawares of the passengers on top of its trailer. As it passed, the blue-masked ninja caught what the whitette said.

"Dad would freak if he knew."

Michelangelo tilted his head. "Dad? They're sisters?"

Leonardo hummed thoughtfully. "Makes sense. Did you see how in sync they were?"

Raphael snorted. "Yeah, well… they sure don't look like sisters." He smirked. "I will admit that I'm impressed with how fast they are though. They outpaced  _us_ , and we're ninjas." Leonardo nodded.

"That is true. Still..." A nagging feeling was eating at his stomach. Even though he knew he shouldn't say this, he couldn't stop himself. "We should make sure they get home safely."

Donatello brightened immediately, but he covered it up with a simple nod. "Right. Let's go." They had just caught up with the girls when an exasperated "Come on!" reached their ears. The ninjas skidded to a stop, only for their hearts to drop when they saw ten of the men from earlier surrounding the girls. Evidently, their pursuers had called for backup.

~ *.* ~

Fallyn growled as she moved April behind her again, taking up a protective stance in front of her sister. The men from earlier had circled around from their chase, cutting off the girls' escape route. This time, the men held the girls' father hostage in the van, ensuring he couldn't raise the alarm.  _'Damn. I can't fight all of them with April here.'_  The whitette decided to make the hard call. "I want you to run. Go to Aunt Kate's or Irma's, but just get out of here."

April stared back, disbelief written all over her face. "Are you crazy, Fallyn!? I'm not leaving you!"

Fallyn shoved April back a few steps, forcing the girl away. "I'm not arguing. Go!" A glare shut up whatever protest the redhead har prepared. "Please! Just run!" Hearing the desperation in her sister's voice, April nodded, tears brimming.

"Be careful!" She shouted as she started to run away.

Fallyn said nothing, instead facing the men. Immediately, the men ran at her. Ducking a swipe, Fallyn jabbed one of the men's abdomen as she continued to drop so she could sweep his legs. Grabbing his collar as he fell, she used her shoulder as a fulcrum to throw him into a few of his buddies. A scream startled her, making her lose her focus. "April!" The whitette whirled, jumping over the males.

Just before she could get to her sister, another voice yelled out "Hey!" Coming around the corner, Fallyn saw a…  _turtle?_... punch one of the men, knocking him back a few steps. Fallyn watched as three other terrapin-like creatures jumped down from the roof, attacking the men. The duo in front of her faced off. "Still standing huh?" The first turtle, who was wearing a red bandana around his eyes, unsheathed sais, twirling them. "I'll fix that." One of the other turtles bumped into him, making him growl out a "Watch it!"

"You watch it!" The second turtle, this one wearing a blue bandana around his eyes, placed his hands on the back of the man he had been fighting, propelling himself up.

Fallyn had to admit… she was mildly impressed.  _'Focus Lyn! Save April, gawk later.'_  She frowned to herself, and shook her head, looking around for her sister. Fallyn soon found her, slung over the shoulder of yet another man. "April!"

Hearing the voice, April braced herself, and just in time. Fallyn drop-kicked the man's free shoulder, making him crumble. April rolled out of the way of the man's weight, landing on her hands and knees. Looking up, she saw Fallyn extend a hand. "Thanks."

"Don't mention it." April smiled as her sister hauled her up. It disappeared when April looked over Fallyn's shoulder.

"Look out!" Fallyn turned just in time to absorb the man's punch. Unfortunately, her solar plexus did the absorbing. She was flung backwards, conveniently landing next to Kirby in the truck. "Fallyn!" She didn't respond, having been knocked out. A hand grabbed April, flinging her over another shoulder. "Hey! Cut it out! Stop! Ow!"

A staff came out of nowhere, hitting the man in the back. April was thrown into the air, only to land in warm arms. "Gotcha!" She looked up into the face of a turtle with a purple bandana around his reddish-brown eyes. When he smiled, April did the only thing she could think of.

Scream.

"WHAAA!"

"AAAHHHH!" The turtle dropped her, recoiling in shock. "No no! No! Don't worry! We're the good guys!"

 _'He…. It… can talk!?'_ April screamed again, backing away from the turtle. He slowly followed her.

"It's okay." He said slowly, trying to calm her down. Turning, April gasped when she saw two more men, before looking back at the turtle. He smiled again, extending a three-fingered hand. Hesitantly, April began to reach for it. She stopped when another turtle, wearing an orange bandana around his eyes, landed behind him and slapped his head with some sort of wooden weapon with chains attaching the two pieces.

"Oops. Sorry." The turtle apologized when the turtle wearing the purple bandana glared at him, before the orange one gasped. "Watch out!" One of the men kicked Purple into Orange, sending both flying into a garbage pile. April was thrown into the truck next to her sister, her hands and mouth duct-taped. Just before the doors slammed shut, she heard Purple yell

"They're getting away!" April glanced at her unconscious sister and father.

 _'Fallyn. I hope you're going to be okay. Heck, I hope_ all _of us will be okay.'_


	3. Captured

Leonardo was doing his best to keep his breathing steady as he and his brothers kneeled in front of Splinter. After the family had been kidnapped, the brothers had given chase to the van, but had eventually lost it in the unfamiliar streets, which left them no choice but to return home. Leonardo was given the honor of explaining everything to Splinter, since he was the oldest of the four.; however, it didn't stop the others from adding their input, no doubt believing he wasn't giving them enough credit.

But to say Splinter was displeased at their lack of coordination in handling the situation would be an understatement. "And so your inability to work together allowed them all to get away!"

Raphael growled. "Well maybe if I didn't have to waste time arguing with… Hero Boy I could have saved them!"

Leonardo gaped, his own temper quickly flaring. "Hey if you hadn't got in my way I could have done it." He then whirled on Donatello. "And you went flying off on your own! How smart was that?!"

"Well it would've worked out great, if somebody hadn't hit me in the head with their nunchucks!" Donatello pointed his finger in Michelangelo's face for emphasis.

"Well… none of this would've happened if-" Michelangelo broke off and temporarily panicked, not having anyone next to him to blame. " _Somebody_ hadn't trusted us to go up there in the first place!" All of the turtles froze, and Michelangelo blanched, realizing what he had just done. "Oh jeez. Sensei… I didn't mean ta-."

Splinter sighed. "No, Michelangelo. You are right."

"I am?" Michelangelo was incredulous.

"He is?" It seemed his brothers were as well.

"You were not fully prepared for what was up there. I trained you to fight as individuals, not as a team. And as your teacher, your father, the responsibility for that is mine." Splinter sighed, his shoulders dropping. "Perhaps, in another year, we can try again."

"Wha- another year?!" Donatello couldn't believe his ears. "Ha- Has everybody forgotten that people were kidnapped?! They don't have a year! Sensei, we have to do something now!" Splinter glanced at Donatello, hearing the desperation in his son's voice. "You weren't there, Sensei. You didn't see the way that girl looked into my eyes. She was scared, and she was counting on me - us!" Donatello quickly corrected himself, "-to save her!"

Splinter turned around, thinking. As he stared at a picture, memories of a fire ran through his mind. "Yes." He blinked, washing away the memory, but not the resolve, as he looked back at his sons. "You must save her."

Leonardo spoke up. "I agree, Sensei. But in that fight, we weren't exactly a well-oiled machine."

"Like the robot with the brain thingy." Raphael rolled his eyes at Michelangelo.

"Give it a rest already!" 

"Hm." The ninjas glanced back at their teacher. "If you are to fight more effectively as a unit, you are going to need a leader."

Leonardo immediately raised his hand. "Can I be the leader?"

"Why should you be the leader?" Raphael butted in. "I kicked your butt. I should be the leader!"

"Hey I'm smarter than all you guys put together. It should be me!" Donatello pointed out.

"No way! It should be me!" Everyone stared at Michelangelo. "I don't really have a reason. I just think it would be me."

Splinter walked towards his room. "This is a difficult decision. I will meditate on it." Two seconds passed before the door opened again. "It's Leonardo."

Raphael groaned in disappointment. "No hard feelings, Raph?" Leonardo asked as his brother stomped away.

"Ah stick it in your shell."

~ *.* ~

Fallyn groaned, sitting up as her body slowly woke up. She rubbed her head, wincing when she rubbed a soft spot. "Ow, ow, _ow_. That hurt a lot more than I remember." Hearing a gasp, she looked around.

"Fallyn! You're okay!" April flung herself at her sister, almost crying with relief. "Thank goodness!" Fallyn tried not to wince when her sister's weight was flung onto her aching body. The whitette looked around, not liking what she was seeing from their surroundings.

"Where are we?" April pulled back, shaking her head to the negative.

Kirby stood up from where he had been sitting opposite the girls, placing a hand on his eldest daughter's shoulder. "I don't know."

"Okay… what happened after I was knocked out?" Fallyn asked instead.

Sighing, April crossed her legs. "I was thrown in the truck after you. We were driven here by the men that kidnapped us, and thrown in this cell." April looked around her, as if she was worried someone was listening in. "Don't freak out, okay. But the guys that kidnapped us? They're not human!"

Fallyn nodded, standing up. She tried not to wince at the complaining in her legs. "I know." April gaped at her sister. Kirby's face exactly resembled hers, but April recovered first.

"You… you _know_?"

Fallyn nodded again as she made her way to the door. Once there, she looked out the window, trying to see if she could identify an exit. "Yeah." Glancing over her shoulder, she sighed at her family's dumbfounded expression. "You remember nine years ago… when Mom and I disappeared?" The redheads nodded.

"Barely." April looked away and towards the ground, her entire demeanor becoming subdued. "I was only six then." Fallyn mentally winced, resting her forehead on the windowsill as she looked out of their holding cell.

"Yeah. Well… long story short… these aliens, the Kraang, took us. They did some things to me, and… well… let's just say I became… different." Fallyn closed her eyes, her fists clenching as her less-than-pleasant memories came back. "Mom… she… mhm." Fallyn didn't finish her sentence.

April's eyes widened in realization. "That's why you wanted me to run."

The white-haired O'Neil turned to her younger sister. "I know who they are, and what they want, and… I didn't want you to go through the hell Mom and I did. I..." Fallyn trailed off, fear and repressed memories cutting off her voice. April gulped, standing up. Kirby still resembled a fish out of water.

"How… how long did this go on for?" April asked gently. Fallyn's eyes closed as she placed a finger in between her nose and upper lip, resting her chin on her thumb. Fallyn took several moments to calm herself, focusing on her breathing and the breathing of her sister. After she was calmer, she decided to take advantage of her father's stupefied demeanor.

"Five years." Fallyn sighed, dropping her hand from her mouth. "I guess that's why you assumed I was dead. I disappeared when I was a mere eight years old. Coming back at age thirteen…" a soft scoff escaped her nose, "Coming back at _all_ , is practically unheard of." Not knowing what else to do, April wrapped her arms around Fallyn's left arm.

When Fallyn was younger, she loved hugs from her younger sister. After she came back... she feared all types of human touch, especially from her family. Their father had taken Fallyn to a psychiatrist, who had told the family Fallyn was suffering from PTSD, similar to what soldiers go through after they return from war. It took about a year before anyone, including Kirby and April, could touch Fallyn without her jumping out of her skin or swinging a fist. It took another year before they could rest a hand on her shoulder. It then took another eighteen months before Fallyn was comfortable with April doing what she currently was: giving her left arm a hug.

"I'm so sorry, Lyn. I… I never knew."

"Only because I didn't tell you."

April sighed, resting her forehead on Fallyn's shoulder. "I guess this explains a lot." When April felt Fallyn's bicep tense, she quickly continued to prevent anything from happening. "Like why you're so protective, or why your body temperature is higher than most. Among other things." To April's relief, the tension disappeared when Fallyn chuckled.

"I still remember your reaction when I told you. You looked like a fish out of water." April frowned, butting the older girl's shoulder with her head. Fallyn just laughed it off, relaxing a little bit more into her sister's touch.

"Thanks for that. But what did you expect when you find out your sister has a body temperature of 113 degrees Fahrenheit?"

"And don't forget the ability to raise it." April rolled her eyes at Fallyn's teasing tone. Even both knew she was dead serious, April was glad her sister was healing enough to laugh and tease a little bit.

"Whatever." April leaned back, looking into her sister's piercing gold eyes. "So what are we going to do?"

"We'll figure something out." Fallyn reassured. April nodded.

 _"We always do."_ Fallyn smirked at her little sister.

_"Always."_

複

The cell shook from an explosion, throwing Fallyn from her bunk. She instinctively landed in a crouch, looking around wildly. "What in blazes?" She looked out the window as Kirby whimpered, covering his head. Fallyn tried to not growl at the sight. _'Sometimes I cannot_ believe _I am related to you.'_

"What's going on?" April asked, coming over to her sister. Fallyn shrugged.

"I have no idea." She smirked as she heard fighting going on. "But I think someone's here to rescue us." April stared for a few moments, trying to hear what her sister did, before shaking her head.

"I'll take your word for it."

Fallyn smirked again, tapping her left ear.  _"Hey. Super hearing, remember?"_

April sighed. "Yeah." The sisters jumped as an alarm blared throughout the facility. "Oh what now!?"

"No idea." Fallyn kneeled down, looking over the door, trying to find any sign of a hinge or lock. "But I'm not waiting any longer." She growled to herself when she couldn't find anything. _'Slag it. I'm not going to be able to break out of here.'_ Before she could break the news to her family, the sound of footsteps made her stand up.

Turtles ran by the door, flashes of other colors and metal mixed in with the green and brown. Immediately after they passed the family's cell, a purple-masked face returned. "We found them!" Blaster fire shot past him, startling everyone.

"We'll hold them off! You pick the lock!" Fallyn's eyebrows narrowed minutely at the second voice.

 _'He sounds familiar.'_ The first terrapin turned back to the human family.

"Don't worry! I'll have you out of there in a second."

April stepped up next to Fallyn. "Okay, giant, lizard thing." Fallyn instinctively placed a hand on April's hip, ensuring she stayed behind the whitette.

"Turtle, actually. I'm Donatello."

"April."

 _'This is not the time to be making friends!'_  Fallyn rolled her eyes.

"Wow. That's a pretty-duiigh!" Fallyn snickered as Donatello's face was sandwiched against the glass. The cause was his friend being thrown into him. Fallyn recognized him as the blue-masked ninja from before.

"The lock Donnie!" He barked, his katana up on guard in front of him.

_'That's why he sounded familiar. He's the one who jumped over that Kraang droid.'_

"Oh! Right. Yeah, sorry." Both moved to their separate positions, Blue fighting, Donatello picking. April placed her hands on the glass.

"Not to rush you but, HURRY UP!"

"Hey! You think it's easy to pick a lock with these hands?" Donatello waved both of his three-fingered appendages for emphasis.

"Sorry." Fallyn looked up as the red-masked turtle stomped over to Donatello.

"Oh for the love of-" He grabbed the other turtle's shell, flinging him aside. "Get out of my way!" Taking out a sai, he jabbed the lock three times. A buzzing sounded, right before a door opened. It wasn't the one they wanted though.

~ *.* ~

The door opened in time for Donnie and Raph to see the family taken away. Following April's screams, they burst through some doors and into the courtyard. "Get the door!" Raph started to close it, but not before a Kraang droid was halfway wedged in between. Thinking fast, he broke off one of the robot's arms, sticking it in the handles to bar the door from opening.

"That'll hold 'em." He turned, only to be met with the slightly horrified faces of his brothers. "What?"

"You… are seriously twisted." Leonardo deadpanned.

"Thanks." April's shout broke the moment. The ninjas saw the family being led away, towards the helicopter on the roof.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes Fallyn's temperature is above the fatality level for a human. It fits into the story later, so don't give me flack about it. She's my OC and this is my story. I'm free to do what I want.   
> The kanji (複) means ninja in Japanese. I use it for time lapse, versus scene change ( ~ *.* ~).


	4. Rescued

Fallyn fought vainly against the Kraang's grip, gritting her teeth when the robot tightened its grip. "The one being held by Kraang will stop fighting Kraang if the one being held by Kraang does not wish to be shot by Kraang." The girl rolled her eyes.

"Would it kill you to say 'Knock it off!'?" Silence answered her, as she knew it would. "I guess so." Hearing screeches, Fallyn looked to her left. A giant weed had appeared out of nowhere, and was attacking the turtles. Thankfully, the Kraang noticed it too.  _'Just what I needed.'_

" _Drop!"_  April nodded in response to the command. Falling to her knees, she pulled the Kraang droid holding her down with her. It began struggling with her weight as April remained pure deadweight, catching her father's attention.

"April!" Kirby started freaking out, only to be picked up and thrown into the helicopter. Using the distractions caused by her father and sister, Fallyn jumped up, planting her feet in the Kraang's robot face. Her momentum pushed both over and down, its head flattening against the cement. Whirling out of the grip on her biceps, Fallyn saw April being flung into the cabin. Her heart dropped when it began to take off.

"No!" Hearing a kiai, she glanced to her right to see Donatello land next to her. "Donatello!" Running under the ascending copter, she cupped her hands.

Donatello nodded, understanding what she wanted. He ran, jumped, and planted his foot in her hands. Fallyn planted her feet as she flung him up, surprise momentarily shooting through the turtle when she didn't grunt, as Leo had done when he had done the same for his brother. He shook it off, grabbing one of the landing skids. The door opened, revealing a Kraang droid.

"Oh good! For a second there I thought this was going to be too easy!" Donatello shouted sarcastically. In response, the droid began shooting at the turtle. Changing his grip on the skid, Donatello placed a shuriken in between his toes. Swinging his body up, he jammed the shuriken into the droid's head. Donatello then wrapped his legs around its neck, pulling it out of the helicopter and flinging it back down towards the ground. As it fell, however, it began shooting at the helicopter.

~ *.* ~

"April!" Fallyn watched helplessly as April almost fell out of the helicopter, barely grabbing the edge. Her heart dropped as April lost her grip, falling down to the landing pad.  _'I'll never make it!'_

Thankfully, Donatello did. He jumped off the helicopter, his heavier weight propelling him to the landing pad first. He rolled to absorb the impact before leaping up and catching April. Using his momentum, he finally skidded to a stop on the ground, panting. Fallyn breathed a sigh of relief, seeing her sister alive in the turtle's arms.

_'Thank goodness.'_  The whitette flipped down, taking the same path Donatello did. "April!" Fallyn drew April to her chest, her breathing shaky as she placed a hand on April's neck, feeling her pulse. April's shock soon faded to relief as she returned the hug. "Are you alright?" April nodded against her sister.

"But Dad-."

"Don't worry about him right now." Fallyn cut her off. "We have to get out of here first."

Donatello nodded. "Let's go!" As they ran, he glanced at Fallyn. "By the way, I never got your name."

"Fallyn."

"Nice to meet you." The trio came around the corner to see the massive weed creature being forced back towards a power generator. "What are they doing? They're leading him straight towards that power generator!" Fallyn's eyes widened when Blue took out a few shuriken. "That's incredibly stupid!" Donatello froze, thinking. "Or brilliant. Or… or both!"

"Thanks for that, Captain Obvious." Fallyn groaned. Blue had just thrown the shuriken at the creature, getting its attention when the metal stars stuck in its back.

"Hey come and get me Stinkweed!" He stuck his thumb on his nose, sticking his tongue out. The weed creature swung its tentacles at the turtle. He jumped up, landing on the creature's back. Keeping his tongue out, Blue began to slap the back of his shell at the Kraang, yelling nonsense to eg them on.

_'He is such a boy.'_  Fallyn thought to herself. The Kraang shot at Blue, some of their blasts hitting the generator. Blue jumped off of the walking weed just before it was electrocuted, the body blowing up with the generator. The other turtles ran towards the trio. Nodding, they ran out of the stronghold as bits of once-living weed rained down.

複

Fallyn leaned up against the windowsill, staring down at her arms that were crossed under her breasts. After they were rescued, the turtles had followed them to the police station. Once they had done what they could there, the girls' aunt had picked them up. After Fallyn explaining why they were at the police station in the first place, with careful substitutions and eliminations here and there, their aunt practically strangled the girls, fervently letting them know they were welcome to stay as long as they wanted. The girls had moved in over the weekend. Currently, they were speaking with the turtles on the fire escape outside of April's room. This was the first time the group had been able to speak in relative privacy and calm since the incident three nights prior.

Donatello pushed off the railing, coming over to the girls. "Are you going to be alright?" Fallyn knew the question was directed at April, but she answered for the redhead.

"I guess. Aunt Kate says we can stay here for as long as we want." Fallyn's hands clenched around her biceps. "But I'll be a lot better when I track down the creeps that took our dad." Blue, Leonardo as he had introduced himself after they had appeared, tilted his head; even though Fallyn wasn't looking at the turtles directly, she could see all of them out of her peripheral.

"Won't the police help?"

"Funny thing." April scoffed, not looking at the turtle. "When you tell them your dad was kidnapped by alien brains in robot bodies, they don't take you all that seriously."

Michelangelo, the turtle with the orange headband and nunchucks, nodded. "I hear that."

Donatello stared at the girls. "April and Fallyn. I promise you we will not rest until we find him." Raphael, the hothead with matching colored mask, pulled a surprised expression at 'we will not rest'.

"We won't?" He grunted when Leonardo hit his arm.

"No. We won't." Leonardo stressed. Fallyn sighed, looking at the turtles for the first time during the conversation as April responded.

"Thank you. But it's not your fight." Donnie covered April's hand with one of his one. He pretended to not notice Fallyn's glare combined with quirked eyebrow.

"Yes... it is." When April smiled at him, he blushed a brilliant red, a color Fallyn didn't think his green face could show. He backed up, an awkward smile on his face as Michelangelo and Leonardo climbed up onto the roof. Raphael saluted the girls before jumping up after his brothers. Donatello was the last to haul himself up, turning to wave. April returned the gesture, while Fallyn bowed her head slightly. Once they had disappeared into the night, Fallyn turned to April.

"Come on little sis. Let's get you to bed." April huffed, but climbed in through the window anyways. Fallyn followed, closing the pane after them. "Hey."

April turned to her. "Hm?"

"You sure you're okay?" Seeing the narrowed eyes, April knew she wasn't going to get away with a lie.

"No. But…" Stepping across the room, April wrapped her arms around Fallyn's left arm, slightly irked for the umpteenth time that Fallyn was a good seven inches taller than the redhead, who had finished growing the past summer. "As long as you're here… I know I'm safe." Fallyn stiffened at the sudden closeness, but decided to let it slide for the night. She chuckled, patting her little sister's head.

"Thanks. Now, get ready for bed. I'll see you in the morning." Freeing herself, Fallyn opened the door to the hallway, glancing back at her sister. "Goodnight, April."

"Night, sis. Sleep well."

"Sweet dreams." Fallyn silently closed the door to April's bedroom, making her way down the hall towards her own room. Once inside, she locked the door. Quickly, she made sure no one was watching, closing the windows, drawing the blinds, doing everything to ensure no one could see in.

As soon as she was satisfied, Fallyn reached under her bed to grab something. As she pulled out the dual, six foot long odachi swords, she smiled to herself at the sight of the hardwood. Swinging the sheaths over her back, she buckled the sheaths across her chest. Reaching up, she tapped her finger against each of the pommels, causing the swords to disappear. Fallyn sat on her bed, waiting until she heard the deep breathing of her aunt and sister before jumping out of her window onto the roof next to them.

_'Leonardo and his brothers aren't the only ones who aren't going to rest until you're found, Dad.'_

~ *.* ~

Leo kneeled in front of Splinter. He had just finished retelling his sensei how the previous few nights had panned out, and was now waiting on Splinter's response. "I am impressed Leonardo. You proved to be an effective leader under the most difficult of circumstances."

"Thank you Sensei." Leo beamed. "And I think I figured out why you made me leader."

Splinter glanced back at his oldest son. "Oh! Why is that?"

"Because you sensed inside me a true warrior spirit that could forge us all into the hero's we are destined to become."

Splinter fought the urge to smirk at Leonardo's clearly practiced response. "No."

Leo blinked. "No? Then, why did you make me leader?"

Splinter fully turned, looking his son in the eyes. "Because you asked."

Leo stood up, shock written all over his face. "That's it? But… you seemed so certain you were right."

"As a leader, you will learn that there is no right and wrong, only choices."

"So… you could have chosen any of us?"

"Yes."

"Even Mikey!?"

"No." Splinter chuckled. "That would have been wrong."

"EVERYBODY COME HERE!" Leo and Splinter flinched at Mikey's yell. "We made the news!" Splinter and Leo walked out of the dojo, making their way to the pit in the center of the living room. They stared at the television screen.

"A report of, get this,  _ninjas_  in New York. Don't believe me? After residents reported a disturbance, the police recovered this." A picture flashed, showing off the shuriken Leo had thrown to disable Snake's van. He inwardly cringed.

' _Oops.'_

Donnie and Mikey looked at each other, huge smiles on their faces. "For Channel Six News, this is Carlos Chiang O'Brian Gambe saying, Hi-yah!"

"This is awesome!" Mikey giggled. "We're going to be famous!"

"You must be more careful!" Splinter looked at his sons, cutting through the mood. "The ninja's most powerful weapon is the shadows. Being brought out into the light is a dangerous thing."

Raph rolled his eyes, relaxing further into the couch. "Relax Sensei. It's one little news story. What's the worst that can happen?"

Little did they know, the same news story was playing across the world, showing to an old friend of Splinter's… Oroku Saki.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kiai is Japanese, literally translating to "a warrior's yell".  
> I typically say "You are such a boy!" to my brothers when they're pissing me off. Or are just acting weird… or stupid… or both. No sexist comment intended.


	5. Chapter 4: Advice

With a sigh, April pushed herself back from her desk, her chair rolling into the middle of the room. She stared up at the ceiling, cracking her neck. She had just finished her homework for the day: a three-page essay on Dante's  _Hell_. Groaning as she rolled her neck, the redhead rolled her chair back to her desk. Moving her books to the side, she pulled out her laptop. Her lips pulled down into a frown when her email showed up empty. She had sent some intel to Donnie about the Kraang earlier that day, intel she hoped would give them information on Kirby. He had been missing for over a week now. April glanced out her window at the sky, slowly turning red with the setting sun.

_'Speaking of family…'_  She stood up, walking out of her room. Her aunt, Kate O'Neil, was humming in the kitchen, her hips swaying to her mental melody. "Aunt Kate?"

The woman jumped, turning to face her niece. "Oh! Hello, darling! What is it?"

April looked around. "Uh… have you seen Fallyn?"

Kate shifted her weight, tapping her chin. "I believe she said something about training on the roof."

April nodded. "Thanks Aunt Kate!" April started to head up the stairs, only to turn back around as a thought occurred to her. "Do you need any help?"

Kate chuckled. "No, thank you dear. Fallyn already helped today while you were at school. It's just baking now."

"Okay. See you later." Climbing the stairs, April continued to the roof. Pulling herself over the edge, she sighed in content at the sight, sitting down in the shade of an air conditioning unit.

Fallyn was kneeling in the middle of the roof, her eyes closed. She was wearing a traditional samurai training hakama. Her breasts rose and fell in a steady rhythm under her white long-sleeved shirt. Her hands rested on her black-clothed knees. An unsheathed sword was at her feet, its sheath strapped to her side by her obi. Well, technically the blade was at her knees, but the same idea. What unnerved April was the length of the blade, a good five feett long. Six, if April counted the handle.

Suddenly, Fallyn's eyes flew open. Grabbing the sword, she leapt up on guard, the sword pointed forward. Spinning, the weapon sliced through the air, creating a whooshing sound. Fallyn continued through the form, slicing, jabbing, and blocking her invisible opponents. From what April could tell, it would normally be a complex form, complete with flips, one-handed handsprings, aerial cartwheels, and other impressive dodges. However, Fallyn made it look easy, not even breaking a sweat. The whitette finished, facing the same way she started. Straightening, Fallyn flourished the sword, sheathing it in the scabbard at her side. "Like what you saw, April?"

The redhead nodded. "That was so cool, sis! Leo would be jealous."

Fallyn chuckled, walking over to her sister. For the first time, April noticed her feet were bare. "Probably. It was actually a katana form, but I altered it."

April stood, brushing off the back of her pants. "Speaking of which, what kind of sword is that? I've never seen it before."

Fallyn rested a hand on the hilt. "It's an odachi. I actually have two of them, but, since the form only required one blade, I didn't need to bring the twin out." The elder girl jumped down, landing silently on the metal scaffolding.

"Wow. Not even the guys were silent landing on that thing." April followed her sister's lead, landing in Fallyn's waiting arms. Fallyn set the younger girl on her feet.

"True, but keep in mind they haven't trained on these like I have." Fallyn stepped inside the apartment building.

"Right." April looked out into the night. "Speaking of them, I hope they're okay. I haven't heard from them all day."

Fallyn looked back at her. "You sent Don that intel, right?"

"Yeah."

"Then don't worry about it. They'll be fine."

April sighed. "Yeah… I guess you're right." She flinched when Fallyn cleared her throat. "Okay, okay! You  _are_  right. Happy?"

"Eh… no. But I'll let it slide this one time." Fallyn glanced over her shoulder. "By the way, Aunt Kate made pot roast tonight, and I made some challa bread. Just thought you would like to know."

April's mouth began watering at the thought of her Aunt's award winning roast and her sister's bread that literally made boys fall at her feet. Well, at least more than normal; she already had quite the fan-base simply because of her appearance. "Sweet!"

Fallyn chuckled as she walked to her room. ' _Alright. I'll take a quick shower, have dinner, meditate for a while, read a couple chapters of_  The Hobbit _,_ _and then maybe I'll go out and beat up some Purple Dragons.'_

複

_'What the-?'_  Fallyn started when a knock rapped on her window. Glancing over her shoulder, she saw a shadow outside her window. After a moment, Fallyn realized one of the turtles was sitting on the fire escape. Setting her book down, she walked over to the window, opening it. Her surprise turned into shock when the turtle turned out to be none other than Raphael. "Raph?" Fallyn stuck her head out further. "Where are the others?"

Raph shifted uncomfortably, only furthering Fallyn's shock. "Can… um… can we talk? Somewhere else?" His eyes flickered from hers to the roof.

Fallyn nodded, climbing out onto the metal, shivering slightly when the night breeze blew through her cotton T-shirt and pajama pants. She covered it up though, raising her body temperature slightly to ward off the chill. Raph smiled softly at her. He jumped up onto the roof, turning to offer her a hand. "No thanks." Springing off the metal, Fallyn grabbed the roof's edge, swinging up and over his head.

Raph watched, spellbound, as her loose hair flew out behind her, coming down in waves when she landed. It settled below her hips, the night breeze blowing it slightly to her right. ' _She's… beautiful. AH! No! Don't think like that!_ ' He quickly snapped out of his trance, covering it up with a mock scowl. "Show off." 

"Jealous?"Fallyn snickered.

"As if."Raph snorted. They stood there for a few moments.

"So… what did you want to talk about?" Fallyn asked softly. Raph sighed, dropping onto the roof. He crossed his legs, his eyes downcast. Fallyn copied his movement, tilting her head slightly. "Something went wrong tonight." Raph blinked in surprise at her statement.

"How-?"

The girl shrugged. "I'm pretty good at reading people." She shifted into a more comfortable position, resting her left hip on the roof, her legs out to the side. "Now what happened?"

Raph swallowed uncomfortably. "Well… I kind of… lost my temper. And it… got me into trouble." He glanced sharply at her when her giggles reached his ears. "What?"

Fallyn's eyes met his, amusement brimming in her golden pools. "I figured that much out on my own." Raph gaped at her. "I meant  _why_  did you lose your temper?"

Sighing, he told her the whole story, all the while questioning himself. ' _Why did I come here? Why am I telling her all of this?'_  As he continued to talk, he watched Fallyn, gauging her reactions. She kept her face stoic, but she was attentive nonetheless. She didn't offer advice, or interrupt him. She just… listened.  _'Maybe that's why. Maybe… all I needed… was someone to talk to. Someone who would listen to me.'_  

Fallyn mentally smirked.  _'He doesn't realize he's voicing his thoughts. Well… I won't let him know then. He would probably get really embarrassed.'_ When he stopped talking, she nodded. "I see. Did you talk to your sensei about this?"

"Yeah. He said I should-" Raphael blinked a couple times. "Wait. How did you-?"

"Please. You're… what… eighteen?"

"Yeah. What's your point?"

"You would have to have someone raise you, and, from your reactions when you fought the Kraang, it sure as heck wasn't them." She openly smirked at his dumbfounded expression. "Besides the fact that your Ninjitsu skills are far more proficient than they would be if they were self-taught. I should know." 

Raph shook his head. "What are you? Psychic?!"

Fallyn chuckled. "I told you… I'm pretty good at reading people. I don't need to be psychic for that." Fallyn reached out to cover one of Raph's hands with one of her own.

He was amazed at how warm her small, pale hand was. ' _I wonder if the rest of her is this warm. GAH! Why do I keep thinking like that?! Stop it, Raph!'_

"Now… what did your sensei tell you?"

Raphael blinked a couple times before realizing Fallyn was still talking. "He said I should let insults wash over me like a river over stone. But… I don't know what that means."

Fallyn nodded. "Ishi wa kawa ni taishite fudōdearu. Bujoku ni taishite onaji sōsa o okonaimasu. **1** "

Raph looked at Fallyn in shock.  _'She… knows Japanese?'_  Before he could get the chance to ask, Fallyn continued talking.

"It means you should ignore the insults. You should let them pass you by as if they were nothing more than air. Don't turn other people's words into weapons."

Raph groaned. "Great. Now I have  _three_  Splinters telling me what to do."

Fallyn quirked an eyebrow. "Three?"

Raph flinched, before sighing in defeat. "Splinter is my sensei's name. I call Leo Splinter Jr. because he's always following the rules."

"And I'm Splinter Three?"

Raph nodded sheepishly. "Sorry."

"I don't mind. It's better than some things I've been called." Fallyn smirked mischievously. "Though I think I would like it better if I  _met_  the person I was being compared too."

Raph chuckled. "Don't think I can't tell what you're doing. Sorry." Fallyn huffed in mock defeat, crossing her arms under her chest. Raph noticed her pajama top was a low-cut, light pink short sleeve, granting him a nice view of ample pale cleavage. Raph sincerely hoped he wasn't blushing.

"Killjoy." She looked away for a few moments. Glancing back at the turtle, her demeanor softened as she turned back to him. "So… you get what he was trying to tell you now?"

Raphael nodded. "Yeah. Thanks Fallyn."

Fallyn smiled at him. "Anytime, Raph. If you ever want to talk to someone, you know where to find me."

The red-masked ninja nodded again. "Sure thing." He jumped off the roof, making his way across the buildings.

Fallyn watched him go as she made her way down the fire escape to her room. "Take care of yourself, hothead. Take care of your brothers too."

複

Fallyn moaned, shifting under her sheets as she pulled them up over her head, burrowing deeper into her pillow. Unfortunately, the knocking at her window wouldn't stop. Huffing, the girl dragged herself out of bed. Rubbing her eyes, she opened her window. Fallyn quirked an annoyed eyebrow when she didn't see anyone. Her nose twitched as she sniffed the air. Catching a sweet scent, she looked down. Her eyes widened in surprise.

A beautiful red rose was sitting in a white vase on the grate. A piece of paper was tied to the stem.

The girl picked the vase up. Tilting her head slightly, Fallyn smiled at the note. "Arigatō. **2**  Raph." Fallyn hummed softly. Gently cupping the flower, she breathed in its scent, her smile growing slightly. She looked up, trying to catch a glimpse of the turtle. She was slightly disappointed when she didn't. ' _That's alright. I have a feeling we'll be seeing each other soon.'_  Taking one last glance around, Fallyn closed her window.

From his perch a few buildings over, Raphael smiled. He was glad she liked the rose. Still smiling, he disappeared into the sewers, making his way home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translations:  
> 1) "The stone is steadfast against the river. Do the same against insults." Look it up to hear pronunciation. (石は川に対して不動である。侮辱に対して同じ操作を行います。) It might come out a little different if you translate it. There are many ways to say the same thing in Japanese.  
> 2) Japanese for "Thanks." ( ありがと )

**Author's Note:**

> Reviews are the lifeblood of a story. If you have anything to say, please say it. If you're worried about offending me, just know I'm am more prone to laugh at attempted insults than to take them seriously.  
> Seriously. You have more of a chance of insulting a brick wall than you do me.


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